(PNTD) – On the afternoon of December 16, the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports held a press conference to provide information on the Hanoi Food and Culture Festival 2025. The festival is an annual cultural event assigned by the Hanoi People’s Committee to the Department of Culture and Sports as the lead agency, in coordination with relevant units, with the aim of honoring the capital’s culinary heritage values and promoting cuisine as a driving force for the development of the cultural industry.
Cuisine – A Resource for the Development of the Capital’s Cultural Industry
From December 19 to 21, the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports will organize the Hanoi Food and Culture Festival 2025 under the theme “Hanoi – A Culinary Journey Connecting Creativity” at Thong Nhat Park. This year’s festival features many new and attractive elements and is expected to help stimulate tourism in the capital toward the end of the year.
Ms. Le Thi Anh Mai, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, speaks at the press conference.
Speaking at the press conference, Ms. Le Thi Anh Mai stated that Hanoi currently has seven culinary heritages inscribed on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. After being recognized, many of these heritages have not only been better protected but have also become representative cultural and tourism products, contributing to improved livelihoods for local communities and helping spread the image of Hanoi. Typical examples include the Me Tri green rice profession (Tu Liem Ward) and the Quang An lotus tea craft (Tay Ho Ward), which have gone beyond village boundaries to become refined gifts present at diplomatic events and international gatherings, representing Hanoi’s cultural identity to friends around the world.
Businesses share information about the products they will bring to the festival at the press conference.
Notably, through cooperation between the Department of Culture and Sports, Kinh te & Do thi Newspaper, and corporate partners, a series of activities to promote and enhance the value of Hanoi Pho heritage has been implemented, such as sketching contests on Pho heritage, short video production, and the development of a Hanoi Pho map. These products will continue to be introduced within the framework of this year’s festival.
A Space for Telling Heritage Stories
One of the most notable highlights of the Hanoi Food and Culture Festival 2025 is that at the opening ceremony, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will announce the decision to inscribe “The knowledge of preparing and enjoying Cha Ca La Vong (Hanoi)” on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
At the press conference, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dang Van Bai, Vice Chairman of the National Council for Cultural Heritage, shared that cuisine is no longer merely a basic survival need but has become a form of cultural heritage that contributes to shaping local identity and national branding in the context of tourism and cultural industry development. In the case of Cha Ca La Vong, its heritage value lies not only in preparation techniques or ways of enjoyment, but also in the historical narrative, collective memory, and family traditions associated with the formation of the dish.
Press conference on the Hanoi Food and Culture Festival 2025.
According to the Organizing Committee, the festival is not only a venue for showcasing and enjoying cuisine, but also a space where artisans tell heritage stories and connect with younger generations. Many accompanying activities will be held, including the thematic seminar “Exchange on Improving Human Resource Quality – Developing Culinary Culture” with the participation of artisans, culinary associations, and community representatives. In parallel, there will be traditional and contemporary art performances such as circus acts, hat van, hat xam, street performances; photo exhibitions promoting Vietnamese culture, tourism, and cuisine; book exhibitions and mobile libraries with hundreds of titles serving diverse audiences.
Journalists learn more about the festival’s activities.
Within the festival framework, the public will be able to directly participate in and experience demonstrations of culinary heritage practices such as wrapping banh chung, preparing Bat Trang ceremonial feasts, scenting West Lake lotus tea, making green rice flakes, cooking Phu Thuong sticky rice, cold snail noodle soup, making candied fruits and jams, and cooking chao se. The festival space will include approximately 60 booths introducing Hanoi cuisine and specialties from other localities, contributing to the promotion of heritage values and reinforcing the “Hanoi Cuisine” brand associated with elegance and refinement.
Spreading the Values of Vietnamese Cuisine
At the press conference, Mr. Shimamura Masafumi, Marketing Director of Acecook Vietnam Joint Stock Company, stated that in November 2025, Acecook signed a five-year strategic cooperation agreement with the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports and Kinh te & Do thi Newspaper, focusing on promoting the value of the culinary cultural industry, with Pho – a symbolic Vietnamese dish – identified as the core focus.
According to Mr. Shimamura Masafumi, close cooperation among state authorities, media agencies, and businesses will create a crucial foundation for Vietnamese cuisine to be researched, honored, and sustainably promoted. Partnering with Hanoi – the cradle of Pho culture – carries special significance, demonstrating the company’s long-term commitment to bringing the essence of Vietnamese cuisine closer to the community and international friends.
With the message “Listen to the stories of culinary heritage,” the Hanoi Food and Culture Festival 2025 is expected to become an attractive cultural weekend destination, where cuisine is not only something to be enjoyed, but also a vivid cultural experience. By connecting heritage, creativity, and the community, the festival contributes to preserving traditional values while expanding development space for the capital’s cultural industry in a new phase.
– In implementing Resolution No. 09 of the Hanoi Party Committee, the city is piloting mechanisms and policies to develop cuisine into a cultural industry in line with UNESCO perspectives. Accordingly, the festival moves toward a “State – Business – Community” linkage model, taking culinary heritage as its foundation, promoting creativity alongside preservation, thereby creating sustainable livelihoods for communities and making practical contributions to Hanoi’s socio-economic development.
Acecook Vietnam is the official partner in protecting and promoting Pho culinary heritage and developing Hanoi’s cultural industry.
– Regarding training orientation, Dr. Trinh Thi Thu Ha, President of Hanoi College of Commerce and Tourism, stated: “With a vision toward 2030, the College’s Culinary Arts Technology program is designated as a key international training discipline. The school focuses on improving training quality and linking education with professional practice. Through cultural and culinary events, the College aims to act as a bridge between artisans, businesses, and students, gradually building a high-quality human resource ecosystem and contributing to spreading the Hanoi and Vietnamese culinary brands to the world.”
According to: https://baophunuthudo.vn/van-hoa-van-nghe/le-hoi-van-hoa-am-thuc-ha-noi-2025-ket-noi-di-san-lan-toa-sang-tao-149684.html